Sample of iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms tested positive for US parasite outbreak

WASHINGTON - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on July 18 a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms has tested positive for a parasitic illness that has sickened thousands of people in the United States.

Taylor Farms has confirmed that this product is not part of its current recall, the FDA said in the statement as it seeks to curtail the largest foodborne illness outbreak in the US in recent years.

The California-based lettuce supplier is working to identify whether any part of the sample that tested positive is available in commerce or in consumers’ homes, the FDA said in its most recent update.

Earlier in the day, the supplier posted a list of lettuce products that had been recalled following investigations that it was a potential source of contamination.

Taylor Farms was not immediately available for comment.

The FDA said the sample was collected during targeted surveillance while investigating the ongoing outbreak and that the positive lot has been detained.

Cyclosporiasis which has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Yum Brands Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia has so far resulted in around 100 hospitalisations and no deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. REUTERS